Apr 25, 2010

Today's L.A. Times carries some letters to the editor (click on this post's title) about our Cardinal Roger Mahony's comments last Sunday about the Arizona bill to take on illegal immigration.

You can see the cardinal's comments at his blogspot: http://cardinalrogermahonyblogsla.blogspot.com/

Now, the whole matter of people who enter the USA illegally is a thorny one. Ole Q is not supporting the Arizona bill (which is now the law in that state), and he does not hold with roundups and mass deportations. Ole Q also decries all racism, of course, and sympathizes with poor people who seek a chance to better their lives.

So do not accuse me of supporting any of those things, if I nevertheless point out some puzzling things about Cardinal Mahony's comments on illegal immigration, now and in the past.

Invariably he just says, "immigrants." He does not distinguish between immigrants who enter the USA legally and those who enter illegally. Is there really no difference?

He does not cite Catholic teachings that countries have a right to maintain their territorial integrity and that immigrants must respect a country's laws. (Refugees are a different case.)

He does not express even a syllable of sympathy and respect for American citizens in his flock and of every faith who are struggling to support their families in the face of rampant job losses and unemployment, and a recession / depression, and yet are expected to keep doing so under soon-to-increase, ever-more-oppressive taxation, much of it for social spending.

Is there any limit to the tax burden that American breadwinners are expected to absorb? (And by "American breadwinners" I'm including all immigrants who come here legally -- which they do with difficulty and at great sacrifice.)

He never explains whether there is any limit whatsoever to the number of people from other countries whom the American people are expected to support. (He rightly points out that "immigrants" contribute to the economy, but he does not point out the equal truth that "immigrants" create a burden on welfare, education, and medical systems.)

On a related note, the cardinal asks this question: "The Census Bureau reports that every day a minimum of 10,000 baby boomers retire. How are we going to provide the labor pool to fill all of these jobs in the coming years?"

Well, we would not be in that fix, of having too few American workers around, if our U.S. (and specifically L.A.) hierarchy and clergy had for the past 42 years, since the wise and beautiful encyclical Humanae Vitae, taught all Catholics, from the pulpit and in Confession, the eternal truths that artificial contraception and sterilization are grave sins and are not negotiable.

Nor would we be in that fix if our hierarchy and clergy had for the past 42 years recognized and spoken against the contraceptive mentality, the anti-life, anti-child, pagan mindset.

We would have lots more Catholic American workers and breadwinners and taxpayers around today if our shepherds had shepherded us rightly according to Catholic pro-life truth.

Now, once again, let me emphasize again -- Ole Q loves and respects everyone and is not anti-immigrant; he just believes we have to take everyone into account and work out solutions for the common good of all, including beleaguered American citizens-taxpayers-breadwinners.

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